The humidity in Mistvale didn't just cling; it weighed. Every breath Shino took felt like swallowing damp wool. As they stepped onto the rickety wooden pier that led into the heart of the paddies, the fog swallowed the village behind them, leaving only the emerald glow of the marsh and the unsettling, rhythmic thrum of the unseen singers.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsfiInD8G3
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"This is repulsive," Elsa muttered. She was forced to lead her white mare by the bridle, her polished silver greaves sinking into the peat with every step. "My boots are ruined, and I can't see five feet in front of my blade."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4jE92MsbB
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"Focus on your ears, Elsa," Kazuto advised, his hand resting on his broadsword. "The mist diffuses light, but sound travels better in the damp. Shino, what are the readings?"96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgluPL33gF
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The First Ambush96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJiuzgxQed
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Shino didn't answer immediately. Her glasses were fogging up, so she pushed them to her forehead, letting her [Analytical Eye] do the work. The world turned into a thermal map. She saw the heat signatures of dragonflies, the cold flow of the water—and then, four massive, pulsating blobs of frigid blue mana lurking just beneath the lily pads.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WpkEglnM6
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"Left! High!" Shino barked.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWFkUqN0cS
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Kwah-RACK!96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KbexrvbrE
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The water exploded. A Giant Marsh Frog, the size of a carriage and mottled with toxic purple spots, launched itself into the air. Its tongue, a wet, muscular whip tipped with a serrated pad, lashed out toward Elsa’s throat.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6Pm0qGxfu
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The Failure of Steel96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1jSMKfoQWd
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"Valerius Strike: Gale!" Elsa reacted with the speed of a veteran. Her rapier blurred, a spiral of wind mana concentrating at the tip of her blade. She lunged, aiming for the beast’s soft underbelly as it soared over her.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DfyS9MfNZ
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The blade hit—and then it slid.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQ7KfLm9Ue
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Instead of piercing the hide, the rapier skidded off the frog's skin as if it had hit a greased mirror. Elsa’s momentum carried her forward, and she stumbled into the knee-deep muck, her weapon splashing uselessly into the water.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQLfwwBswI
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"It has a [Reflective Mucus]!" Shino shouted, her tail fluffing up in alarm. "It’s not just slippery, Elsa—it’s a non-Newtonian fluid! The harder you hit it, the more it hardens into a shell!"96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvttMPtDTUY
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Two more frogs surfaced, their throats ballooning out with a sickening, wet sound. They weren't croaking; they were vibrating, creating a sonic frequency that made Shino’s ears ring with a sharp, piercing pain.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhw2vlTwS0
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The Chemical Solution96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUQpW7dDtz
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Kazuto stepped in, swinging his broadsword in a wide arc to keep the beasts back, but even his heavy blade bounced off their backs with a dull thud. The frogs were closing in, their tongues darting out like harpoons.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjbcHVXFbQc
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"Shino! Logic! Now!" Kazuto roared, parrying a wet lash that nearly took his helmet off.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZmH4pNOKf
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Shino dropped to one knee, ignoring the mud staining her scholar’s robes. She reached into her pack and pulled out a vial of Concentrated Citric Essence—a byproduct of her alchemy research—and a handful of Crystalline Salt.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRduxQEFN3W
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"In my world, we call this a 'Surfactant'!" Shino yelled.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePWMjRdTVw
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She didn't throw the vials at the frogs. She threw them into the water around them. Then, she snapped her fingers, igniting a tiny, precise spark of Fire mana.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkIvjRGSNv
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[Safety Protocol: Phase 3 — Chemical Dissolution]96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwo5p1wDln
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The spark didn't cause an explosion. Instead, it heated the water just enough to catalyze the reaction. The citric acid and salt hit the frogs' mucus, and the "Reflective" properties shattered. The thick, shimmering slime turned into a watery, bubbling froth, sliding off the frogs’ skin and leaving their soft, vulnerable hides exposed to the air.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVXMhmKjQv
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The Opening96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWpJf1j2o7
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The frogs let out a high-pitched, pathetic shriek as their protection vanished. They looked suddenly small and fragile without their armor.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBUR5dIXp4
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"Now, Elsa! While the pH is low!" Shino commanded.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8PN6M0wt3
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Elsa didn't hesitate. She surged up from the mud, her pride stinging more than her arm. She didn't use a heavy strike this time; she used a precise, light-infused prick. The rapier sank into the frog’s shoulder like a needle into silk.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxD6DubATr
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Within seconds, the three smaller frogs scrambled back into the deep water, terrified by the loss of their "Invincible" skin.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3RcLCmIOx
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The Quiet Aftermath96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZJ3u4wT4s
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Silence returned to the marsh, save for the heavy breathing of the trio. Elsa stood in the muck, her golden armor covered in green slime and brown peat. She looked at her rapier, then at Shino, who was calmly wiping a splash of mud off her glasses.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCP47W8j76
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"You... you used fruit juice," Elsa said, her voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and exhaustion. "I used the secret technique of my house, and you used a bottle of lemon extract."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUirOTTbUQv
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"I used Chemistry, Elsa," Shino replied, her ears twitching as she checked the horizon. "The frogs aren't the problem. They're just the symptom. Look at the water."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUc8UsyjY0o
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Shino pointed to where the frogs had surfaced. The water was turning a faint, sickly violet—the same color as Oberis’s new eyes.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7Vx0n3TuG
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"Something is poisoning the bog from the center," Shino whispered. "And it’s much bigger than a frog."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXl9joYzf2
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1234 copyright protection92ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOwQgHctVL 尼96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYcUhImfpiu